ShouldYouUpgradetoApple'siOS10ormacOSSierra?

This is the third in a series of reports where we dive into iOS 10 and macOS Sierra, which were both introduced during this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) keynote address in June.

The third iOS 10 beta is out of the gate. So too is the third beta version of macOS Sierra. It will be a few months before each becomes available to the general public as a full release.

When will that be? If history is any indication, expect both new operating systems to arrive in September or October. In the case of iOS 10, it should drop right before Apple releases the “iPhone 7” and “iPhone 7 Plus.” The newest OS for Mac is likely to arrive a few weeks later alongside new Macs.

Some Words About Apple Betas

One year ago, Apple released six iOS 9 betas before launching the GM, or gold master edition. The longest development process for an iOS release occurred in 2011 with iOS 5. That year, there were seven betas followed by the GM.

In 2014, Apple introduced a public beta program for OS X. Last year, the program was expanded to include iOS. The first public betas for iOS 10 and macOS Sierra were released in early July. New versions are expected soon.

Is Now the Time?

Most users shouldn’t notice significant issues with either iOS 10 beta 3 or macOS Sierra Developer Preview 3. However, at this time, we’re only recommending one of the two versions for public consumption.

iOS 10 beta 3: This third beta is much more stable than the previous version. Nonetheless, it shouldn’t be installed on everyday devices. We continue to notice that iOS 10 beta 3 doesn’t play nice with many third-party apps on both iPhone and iPad. Additionally, battery life is still poor.

macOS Sierra Developer Preview 3: This is a solid release with few problems. Because of this, we recommend installing this software version on home-based Macs. Better yet, install the public beta version.

We’ll continue to follow all of the developments with iOS 10 and macOS Sierra in the coming weeks. When new betas arrive, we’ll publish another report.